WednesdayJournal_021925 by Wednesday Journal

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

After receiving only one bid, nearly $5 million over budget, the village will revise its plans to improve Oak Park Avenue

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

While construction was slated to begin next month, Oak Pa rk ’s p lanned infrastructure improvements to Oak Pa rk Avenue in the Hemingway District will be p ut on hold for at least another year

T he village did not rece ive any on-budget bids fo r the large-scale project wh ich is set to redesign the streetscape and overhaul the water and sewe r systems underneath Oak Pa rk Avenue b etween Ontario Street and Randolph Street. T he only c onstruction bid the village received was for $22.7 million, well beyond the $18 million the village budgeted for the project. C onstruction on the project had b een scheduled

JESSICA MOR DACQ

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional ople whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual Museum Gala

Honoring the 2025 Heart of Our Villages Award Winners

Laura Maychruk and Bob Trezevant

Join us to Celebrate the Exceptional People Whose Stories Make Our Villages So Special

Thursday March 9, 2023

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • 6:30pm to 9pm

Oak Park pedestrian stops by police are still mostly Black men

The police repor t, covering July to December, shows residents make most of the calls for these stops

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

From July to December 2024, Oak Park police stopped 168 pedestrians, the majority of whom were Black men, police data shows. That matches the last re port from April to June 2024, when the stops were also mostly Black men.

Of 168 stops in this period, 139 of them were Black men, women or children. And 120 of them were Black men or boys

Only 19 stops were initiated by police, according to Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson. The other 149 were calls for service from residents asking police to respond

The report was discussed Feb. 11 at a meeting of the Oak Park village board.

Details about each specific stop can be found in the re port, but common reasons for stops of Black individuals included “suspicious person,” “trespass warning” or “suspicious activity.”

Trustee Cory Wesley said he has an issue with the racial disparity in these stops, but that’s an issue more so with the community than the police. Community

members are calling police mainly about Black people, he pointed out.

“I g et the feeling that our community doesn’t understand how to reco gnize suspicious white people,” he said.

Village Manager Kevin Jackson ag reed it’s important to build understanding in the community and continue to educat e residents.

“Looking at the data, I don’ t see biased stops,” Johnson said. “What I do see is the partnership that the police department has with the community in helping us keep the community safe.”

More on the data

T he re port showed that from July to December, 71% to 90% of individuals stopped each month were Black.

Reasons for these stops mirrored previous quarters, including “suspicious person,” “trespass warning,” “suspicious activity” and “other,” related to a welfare check.

Johnson added that a lot of calls police rece ive are related to retail theft. T hese

could be incidents where a business decides not to pursue the issue, but a trespass warning is given instead “We do spend time helping to educat e our residents about what is suspicious, what constitutes suspicious activity, and we’ ll continue to educate,” Johnson said.

A potential bias?

Johnson said she d oesn’t find the da ta, on a surface level, to be biased

“Looking at j ust the distribution by race it may look li ke it ’s focused on one specific race,” Trustee Ravi Parakka t said. “But I’m t rying to g et to the next level of d etail to see if that actually indicates bias or if it ’s j ust re po rt ing of data.”

But Wesley responded that it ’s not j ust about the data re ported, but the data that is absent. A disproportionate number of c alls are related to Black p eople ve r sus wh i te p eople in Oak Pa rk . Th at c ould be d ue to unconscious bia s, he said.

See POLICE STOPS on pa ge 14

Draughon leaves Journal for travel writing,

He ernan

Two staffing changes are underway in the Growing Community Media newsroom.

Luzane Draughon, who has covered Oak Park for a little more than one year, is leaving GCM to take a position as an assistant producer for Travelzoo. Brendan Heffernan, a freelance re porter for GCM for the past two months, has been hired as the new Oak Park re porter Draughon’s last day is Feb. 20. Heffernan took on his full-time position this week.

new Oak Park beat reporter

“We think so highly of Luzane and the strong re porting she has done for Wednesday Journal,” said Max Reinsdorf, interim executive director of GCM. “But the opportunity to

rite about travel and do some traveling, too, well, we ag ree, that is hard to ass up.”

Reinsdorf was enthused about beable to turn immediately to hire Heffernan who has been covering education recently for GCM.

Heffernan c omes to GCM from the Shreve po rt - Bossier City A dvo cate here he helped launch a new newsoom. While in Shreve po rt , Heffe rnan cove red the local c riminal j ustice system.

“Brendan is a strong re porter who will dive into a range of stories. While we hate to lose Luzane, we’re excited to bring Brendan on board. I remain committed to our de ep coverage of all things Oak Pa rk,” said Reinsdorf.

WEDNESD

AY JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Digital Manager Stac y Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Sta Reporters Luzane Draughon, Brendan He ernan

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Assistant Editor, Ar ts & Enter tainment Dalal Or fali

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

LUZ ANE DRAUGHON BRENDAN HEFFERNAN

Rehab rethought from page 1

to begin in March, with the hope that it would be finished by T hanksgivin g 2025. C onstruction will not begin unti l at least 2026.

“We do n’ t love the d elay, ” said Vi llage President Vi cki Scaman. “But I absolutely appreciate the staf f for the du e diligence they ’re doing here. As g ood fiscal stewards we have to be carefu l and we have to be sure that we ’re using the d ollars we have available as wisely as possibl e. ”

Many of the buildings in the wo rk zone are more than 100 years old, wh ich makes p lanning how to u pdate the underg round infrastructure wo rk more c omplicated, Scaman said.

“The b eautiful, gorgeous buildings south of La ke Street are over 100 year s old and so the wo rk under the s idewalks that is the drive r for having the streetscaping in the first p lace is c omplicated,” she said. “It d oes appear as if the process and the engineerin g p lans c ould b etter c ommunicate how the wo rk should b est be d one. As well as where staf f might want to t ry and reign in the proposed streetscaping to ke ep us on budget. ”

T he existing under ground water and sewe r infrastructure has g otten quit e old, Scaman said, and is in d anger of failing if these updates don’ t get done

Ea rl ier this month, the village ’s public wo rks leadership advised Vi llage Manager Kevin Jackson and the Vi llage Board to deny the lone bid and take time to revise the p lan so that it c an be c ompleted under budg et. In a memo to village leadershi p, Vi llage Engineer Bill McKenna and Public Wo rks Director Ro b Sproule wrote that the d elay is necessary because co nversations with local c onstruction firms and other stakeholders revealed that a “large number of i tems” in the project would “need to be redesigned, value engineered or rene g otiate with the c ontractor during construction. ”

“Revising the d esign of the project and deferring c onstruction to 2026 will allow for staf f to wo rk with Te rr a Engineering to obtain more c ompetitive

pricing and hopefully reduce the overall c ost of the project,” they wrote in the memo. “Deferring the project to 2026 will also allow for c ontinued coordination with the businesses and Hemingway Business District to reduce their impacts from the project; b etter c oordination with the CTA re ga rdin g their proposed Green Line Station improvement project; and c oordinatio n with other stakeholders and agencie s including Oak Pa rk Townshi p, Nicor and AT &T.”

Scaman said she is disappointed that they have to shift the timeline after small businesses in the Hemingway Business District had already prep ared for the dis ruption.

“They’ve b een prep a ring for that, making their own investments, making h iring decisions and making marketing p lans,” she said. “That kind of did break my hear t ever so slightly. ” Moses Vald ez owns the Style Society C lub, a f ashion storefront on Oak Pa rk Avenue, and is president of the Hemingway Business District A ssociation. He said that Oak Pa rk Avenue businesses now have the o pportunity to further prep are for the c onstruction wh i le c ontinuing to p lan events to promote district businesses before the project gets underway.

“We c an g et through anything,” Valdez said. “It was a bit of a surprise bu t it ’s O K, it means now we c an c ontinu e having all these wonderful events. We ’l l j ust continue to do wh at we do best. ” T he village has provided gr ant o ppo rtunities to the businesses in the distric t in an ef fo rt to of f set some of the impact that the construction will have and has extended the d eadline to apply for those gr ants into 2026, wh ich Vald ez said is a p ositive for business owner s.

Scaman said the village i ntends to use the extra time to focus on how it c an b est suppo rt the affected businesses, on top of figuring out how to ke ep the project under budget.

“A silver lining, outside of making sure we do this right, is that we have an a dditional year to roll out the business suppo rt progr ams, and it gives us an o pportunity to evaluate how they ’re wo rk ing,” she said. “These decisions are tough when you have to p ostpone something li ke thi s, but in this c ase, I b eli eve it ’s necessar y. ”

OP trustees stress over potential cost of Village Hall remodel, new police station

Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects are working to produce three schematic designs but costs remain a major concern

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park village trustees once again expressed worries about the potential high cost of building a new police station and remodeling Village Hall as Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects work to produce three schematic designs for consideration.

The village board hired JLK back in December for this work, in an amount not to exceed $1.85 million. But the schematic design phase isn’t the final step. Once presented on March 18, trustees will provide feedback to help further narrow down a design

Cost estimates will be included in that presentation from JLK to the board, but the final numbers will depend on board decisions on what to include.

have designed one of the only few net-zero greenhouse gas emission police stations in the United States, were also present.

The charrette meeting, which included collaborative exercises and questions, produced several conclusions to help achieve the goals of an open, transparent government and police structure.

“This building clearly no longer conveys, in a functional way, that sense of open gover nment,” said Colette Lueck, facility review committee co-chair.

The stakeholders agreed the existing Village Hall and new police station should be connected by a welcome center

The group agreed more community spaces should be included on the municipal campus, and entry should be on Lombard Street.

Visitor parking will be shared, with an emphasis on green space as well, according to the charrette attendees. They also want the building to prioritize use of natural materials.

an Straw said.

Trustee Lucia Robinson asked village staf f to come back to the board with an analysis of the potential property tax implications on residents for the design options. At the $120 million estimate for this project, Robinson said the Oak Park Township Assessor told her that it could have quite a significant impact on property tax bills.

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Village Manager Kevin Jackson clarified that analysis might be difficult to produce as several funding sources, such as grants or other partnerships, could be bankrolling the project, too. So, estimates will be incomplete, but trustees said they still want to see one to get a general idea. Trustee Ravi Parakkat pointed out that the board can’t bank on having other funding, either. “It’s easy to talk about values, and values

See VILLAGE HALL on pa ge 14

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Safety will be a top consideration for the project, but a welcoming and visible campus is key, too, according to the stakeholders.

Co lin F ane, A gent

212 S Marion Street Fl G

Oak Park, IL 60302

“We’ re going to have to make some tough decisions,” Village President Vicki Scaman said.

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In December, Public Works Director Rob Sproule said village staff negotiated the agreement with JLK based on an estimate of the project costing $120 million, but some trustees aren’t happy with that number.

They want the municipal campus to “feel like home and [focus on] the wellness of all who work there and visit.” And the council chambers should be fully accessible, inclusive and safe, they agreed

These conclusions are all subject to how and if the board decides to implement them.

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

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The total project cost is still yet to be determined.

Saturday 9am-12pm

Since December, JLK architects have met with community members, sent out surveys to residents and hosted a “charrette” – meeting of all stakeholders – to hear ideas. On Feb. 11, they heard from the village board again.

Charrette

Meg Kindelin, president of JLK, said village staf f, police members, facility review committee re presentations, landscape architects, sustainability experts and structural engineers were all present at the charrette. Designers from Dewberry, who

Trustee feedback

Several trustees expressed concern about the cost of the project, emphasizing they don’t want to overburden residents with paying for it.

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For example, the char rette produced the idea of underground parking in the remodel, which would allow village staf f a safer environment. But it’s up to the board to determine whether that additional expense is needed.

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Oak Park, IL 60302

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“I struggle with the expense of the Village Hall renovation but one of the most significant problems I have with Village Hall…is it is not an inclusive structure and there are many people in our community who cannot access village government in the way that they deserve to because our structure is hostile to them,” Trustee Bri-

Colin Fane, Agent

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Local districts set polic y a er Trump order allows ICE arrests in schools

Local schools have had to establish new policies to ‘protect our children’

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

After a sweeping federal action, school districts locally and across the country have had to plan for what happens when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrive at a school’s front door

Places including schools, hospitals, churches, playgrounds and child care centers had been considered “sensitive locations” for ICE since 2011, with federal policy preventing agents from making arrests or civil apprehensions, conducting interviews or performing searches and surveillance at those locations under most circumstances

In the wake of the executive order, local school districts have set new policies on how they plan to handle ICE investigations on school property and how they plan to communicate with families in light of schools’ lost protective status.

Leadership at Proviso Township High School District 209 told Growing Community Media they will not allow ICE agents into schools unless the agents provide a criminal warrant signed by a judge.

“Per district policy, any federal agent, including ICE officers, must present a criminal warrant signed by a judge to gain access beyond the front office,” D209 superintendent Krish Mohip said in a prepared statement.

“Without that document, they will be treated as any other visitor, and our standard visitor policies will apply. We remain committed to supporting all our students, regardless of their immigration status.”

Forest Park School District 91 will also require a signed criminal warrant before allowing ICE agents into schools

“ICE officers arrive at a school without a warrant, our staff will follow strict district protocols. Non-local law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are not allowed to enter our schools except when required by law and only after consultation with district legal counsel or district leadership,” D91 spokesperson Nurys UcetaRamos said in a statement. “If such a situation arises, staff are instructed to contact the district office immediately so that legal counsel or other trained personnel can determine the district’s legal obligations regarding access and student information. Confidentiality is a priority, and we work to protect the rights of all students and families.”

Oak Park and River Forest High School and Oak Park School District 97 leaders have said they will require signed court orders outlining the scope of what agents are investigating before allowing ICE agents into schools

“District 97 is firmly committed to ensuring our schools are safe and welcoming spaces for all students, families and staff, regardless of immigrant status,’ D97 Superintendent Ushma Shah said in a statement. “Visitors to our schools are subject to the Board of Education Visitor Policy, which requires all visitors to go through the proper screening at our building’s main offices before enter-

ing. Building and central office administrators work jointly in the event of a visit by an immigration enforcement agency. In an instance where a building is visited by such an agency without a valid court order identifying the purpose/scope of the visit, they will be directed to the administrative building at 260 Madison St. for additional assistance and to minimize disruption to the school day. We continue to monitor this landscape and are working closely with our legal team, administrators and staff to ensure we are well-prepared if such a situation arises.”

Village of Oak Park leaders have also said that Oak Park police will not aid ICE in investigations.

D209 also implemented a districtwide policy change at its Feb. 11 meeting requiring staf f to notify a student’s parents and make an ef fort to have the parents present at the school before allowing any immigration enforcement officer to make contact with a student.

“This is a challenge for many of our students, and this is not a political statement but rather we want to make sure our attendance rates stay high,” Mohip said during the meeting. “We want to make sure all our students feel safe when coming to school, so I want to applaud our administrators who came in on Jan. 19, on a Sunday, to talk this through and to get trained with help from our legal team.

“This is just one more step to cement our policies to protect our children.”

More than 25% of Proviso D209 students are considered English language learners, students for whom English is not their first language and are not yet proficient in either speaking, reading or writing in English. English learners account for more than 2% of the student body at OPRF, 3.7% of the student body in Oak Park D97 and 8.5% of Forest Park D91.

Oak Park immigration law attorney Brenda Treml said the order threatens immigrant children’s ability to feel safe in school.

“The removal of the sensitive location protections af forded to schools is deeply concer ning for immigrant families and school communities as a whole,” Treml said. “Even if enforcement actions do not take place, the threat alone can make students feel unsafe and hinder their ability to focus on learning. It is essential that

families understand their rights so that no child’s education is disrupted by fear. The broader community can help by staying infor med, advocating for protections, and supporting policies that ensure every child feels secure in their school environment.”

While the sensitive location policy remained in effect during his first term in office, President Donald Trump removed those protections with an executive order last month, just one of more than 20 executive actions the administration has taken during its first month in power aimed at sharpening immigration enforcement.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement following the order. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

ICE arrested more than 8,000 immigrants for deportation during Trump’s first two weeks as president. The president has pushed the agency to arrest 1,300 people a day on average in order to deport 1 million people by the end of the year, according to NBC News

The Illinois State Board of Education released guidance to school districts on how they should set policy in the wake of the new federal immigration enforcement guidelines. The ISBE has encouraged districts to establish uniform protocols on what sort of documentation they will require enforcement agents to pr ovide before allowing them to enter schools

The ISBE guidance also pointed to a potential point of friction in the executive order, as the 1981 U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Plyer v. Doe, which established that school districts had a responsibility to educate children re gardless of their immigration or citizenship documentation. The state warned school districts against putting in policies that require a parent to disclose their or their child’s immigration status during enrollment process so as not to violate federal law.

There are estimated to be more than 77,000 total immigrant children in Illinois, according to the American Council on Immigration. The Migration Policy initiative estimates that there are 16,000 unauthorized immigrant children under 16-years-old in Illinois.

Loyola professor drops out of D97 school board race

Tw yla Blackmond-Larnell, a political science professor at Loyola University Chicago, announced last week that she’s

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

An experienced political scientist who’d thrown her hat in the ring for the Oak Park District 97 Board of Education has ended her campaign.

Twyla Blackmond Larnell announced that she’d be withdrawing from the D97 school board race in a public Facebook post Friday, Feb. 14.

“I must withdraw from the D97 school board race,” she wrote. “Believe me, it is with great dismay. Really enjoyed getting to delve deeper into the management of the district as well as getting to know more of my neighbors, If you know me, I am a talker! I have learned so much these last few weeks!” Blackmond-Larnell, a political science re-

searcher and instructor at Loyola, had mad a last second decision to run for the boar in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential election, she told Wednesday Journal in a January intervie

She said she hoped to use her experience as an educator and as a policy exper to be an advocate for D97’s most v ulner able students in a climate where public education and diversity, equity and inclusion ef for ts across sectors are under heightened scrutiny.

In her message to the public, she said she will look to pursue that goal as a private citiz en.

“Please forgive me,” Blackmond-Larnell wrote. “Believe me, I will stay committed to equity: empowerment, enrichment and excellence for every student.”

Oak Parkers join Musk protest at e Bean

In Monday’s frigid temps, Oak Parkers joined hundreds of people protesting the efforts of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump to remake the federal gover nment.

The protest, held near the Bean in Millenium Park, took place on the federal President’s Day holiday. Protest signs called out Musk for being unelected and targeted Trump for acting like a king rather than an elected president.

C ORRECTION

Due to a production er ror the names of the candidates for the District 200 Oak Park and River Forest High School board of education in the April 1 election were omitted from our “Get ready to vote” article in the Feb. 12 print edition of Wednesday Journal. The names were re ported in our digital edition.

There are six candidates, one of them a registered write-in, on the ballot. There are

four open seats to be filled by voters.

Those candidates are:

■ Frederick Arkin

■ Joshua Gertz

■ Audrey Williams-Lee

■ Nathan Mellman

■ Kathleen Odell

■ David Schaafsma

Schaafsma is the write-in candidate Wednesday Journal regrets this omission.

WEST SUB Residency accreditation revoke

from page 1

to ensure that resident doctors and fellows deliver safe and high-quality care when an institution doesn’t meet its quirements, ACGME can put it on probatio or withdraw accreditation completely.

About 30 residents in the Family cine Residency Program – which has been at West Suburban since 1973 and is the hospital’s only residency program – are navig ating continuing their education elsewhere by the time West Suburban’ creditation of ficially ends June 30.

Dominic Robolino, a first-year resident, said he wanted to do his residency at Suburban to help an underserved community While he said he was disheartened when he discovered West Suburban lost its accreditation, there was a glimmer of hope, too

“When I heard the news, certainly were] mixed emotions,” Robolino said. “But I was honestly relieved in some way to kno that somebody did recognize how dangerous of an environment this was, and how inadequate of a learning environment this was.”

West Suburban Medical Center

After West Suburban’s withdrawn accreditation was announced, the Family Medicine Residency Program’s associate directors and program coordinator helped residents reach out to accredited family medicine programs at nearby hospitals, which said they would create new openings for West Suburban residents. Some residents were interviewing with these hospitals, and some were about to accept offers and transfer.

Medical residents assumed that a new position at another hospital would be funded by federal Medicare money – which institutions receive annually to go toward residents’ education – that travels with them to whatever accredited institution they continue their education at.

But the first week of February, residents said that the Family Medicine Residency Program’s associate directors told them that West Suburban wouldn’t release funding for residents to bring with them to other institutions.

West Suburban CEO Manoj Prasad said no decisions have been made yet about whether Medicare funding will transfer with residents to another institution.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, transfer of such funding is voluntary.

“My heart kind of broke for the first and second years,” said Harleen Multani, a thirdyear resident and chief resident, who gradu-

ates June 30 when West Suburban’s accreditation ends. “Some people may not be able to complete their training. Some people are going to have to move to another state when they have a family and kids here… or they would have to potentially start their training over again.”

Institutions that were going to take on West Suburban’s residents have rescinded or indefinitely put on hold their offers to five residents, likely because they would have to internally fund the rest of those residents’ education.

Since those hospitals were going to create new spots for West Suburban residents, and there are no open residency spots in the 30plus family medicine programs in Illinois, many residents are looking to continue their education at an out-of-state institution. Or they can try and reenter the residency matching process, filling open spots after the first round of matching for other resident doctors in March. But that may require transferring into a specialty outside of family medicine.

“Switching to a different specialty may require us to repeat certain parts of our training, essentially delaying the time in which we would actually make a greater salary that would allow us to pay off student loans,” Robolino said, adding that he and many of his peers don’t want to follow that path.

If West Suburban holds onto resident funding, it would only be allowed to use it for another residency program, which it’s

PCC Dr. Burdick Family Health Center, previously known as the Family Medicine Center, is located inside West Suburaccredited in 1972. The PCC Family Health Center in Oak was accredited in 1994. Chicago’s Family Health Center received accreditation in 1997, and the PCC Austin Health Center was accredited in

But residents will no longer serve at these health centers, as the Family Medicine Residency Program was the last resiam at West Suburban. n’s internal medicine resiam lost ACGME accreditation ginning of 2022 after 35 years. And Family Medicine Residency am was put on probationary accreditation but continued its accreditation the

Last April, the Family Medicine Resiam’s faculty and program difor ACGME to return to West Suburban, an unprecedented move at the hospital, to analyze what they call a lack of investment in resident education and rsening patient conditions.

not allowed to launch for at least tw o years after its accreditation withdrawal, according to the ACGME.

Prasad said the hospital may continue to train residents and is in the process of navigating next steps.

“If the institution wishes to continue to train residents, there are options available to continue to do so,” Prasad said in an email, confirming that West Suburban hasn’t yet made a decision about whether to appeal its withdrawn accreditation. “We are in the process of evaluating what is the best pathway for the hospital to pursue.”

But even with the possibility of the hospital appealing the loss of its accreditation, many resident doctors don’t necessarily want to stay.

“I don’t think that anyone is wanting the appeal to go through because this place has just become such a terrible place to get education that staying here for an extra year isn’t going to make you well equipped to go out there and save lives,” Multani said. “I think everyone is just hoping that [Prasad] will release the funds and they can move on with their lives.”

The end of an era

The Family Medicine Residency Program has a longstanding history with West Suburban, one that spans 50-some years. Residents are assigned to one of four sites hosted by the PCC Community Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center.

In October, ACGME returned to the hospital for an institution review. That visit triggered another in December to assess the Family Medicine Residency Program. An ACGME review committee will meet in April to assess the program, but the program can only remain accredited if it has a new accredited sponsoring institution.

“Without a hospital to run our program, technically the [program] accreditation is gone,” Multani said, “unless we can find another hospital to take our program.”

The loss of the Family Medicine Residency Program is a defeat for the program’s staf f and hospital as a whole, according to residents.

“Data shows that receiving treatment from a teaching team, or at a teaching hospital where there are residents and students or attending doctors,” Robolino said, “results in better care for the patients because there are more people” working to ensure the best care possible.

But the end of the program also affects the community that West Suburban serves on Chicago’s West Side.

“People who train in a certain location are more likely to remain in that location,” Robolino said. So, residents leaving West Suburban without their funding would mean “less primary care doctors on the West Side of Chicago overall, less healthcare and worse healthcare for the people on the West Side, which is already an underserved community with disproportionate rates of illness and healthcare needs.”

Elevators pass inspection at West Sub’s River Forest campus

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The elevators inside West Suburban Medical Center’s River Forest campus buildings have failed several inspections over the past year – most frequently for outof-date fire extinguishers, broken emergency phones, or past-due category 1 tests that assess elevator safety.

But on Feb. 11, all elevators in the campus’ three main buildings passed inspection for the first time since last March, according to River Forest Village Administrator Matt Walsh.

On the River Forest West Suburban campus, Building A at 7411 Lake St. offers sports rehab and therapy, a pain and bariatric center, and houses the Chicago Health Medical Group. Building B at 420 William St. serves as a breast care center, provides advanced imaging, and is an occupational health center. Building C at 7420 W. Central Ave. is a center for cancer care

A Burr Ridge-based elevator inspection service analyzed all these buildings’ elevators in Feb. 2023, March and December 2024, and again this January. Ahead of the Feb. 11 inspection, both Building A’s freight and passenger elevators had failed inspection since last March. The same was true with Building B and Building C, which each have a passenger elevator

Manoj Prasad, CEO of Resilience Healthcare, which acquired West Suburban in late 2022, said he had no insight into why the elevators were down for so long since West Suburban doesn’t own the buildings.

The buildings are owned by Ramco Healthcare Holdings, the company that bought West Suburban properties to lease them to Resilience Healthcare.

However, the ownership of Ramco and Resilience Healthcare are intertwined After Ramco bought the real estate at both West Sub and Chicago’s Weiss Memorial in 2022, the firm then leased the property to the newly created Resilience Health-

care. A press release from 2022 re ported that Prasad and Reddy Rathnaker Patlola, owner of Ramco, were business par tners.

Over the last year, Walsh said a couple elevator re pair companies have visited the River Forest buildings to fix the issues with the elevators.

Outside of Building A’s freight elevator car being down during its March 2024 inspection, all the buildings’ elevators have been in working order though they’d failed inspections, according to Walsh.

“It’s the village’s hope to not shut down elevators unless it’s a very eg re gious example,” Walsh said. He added that it often takes time to schedule re pair personnel to fix the elevators. “We want to be cooperative with buildings that might be havin g i ssues with their elevators. ”

To that point, the Vi llage of Rive r Fo rest is also slow to fine owners of buildings that fail inspections

“We t ry to not i ssue citations, because ultimately our g oal is c omplianc e, ”

Walsh a dded. “But if the village d oesn’t see any meaningful progr ess or responsiveness to our i nspectors or our staf f, then we have escalated to citations.”

Th at was the c ase in December, when West Suburban was found liable for a $750 fine for the elevators on i ts Rive r Fo rest c ampus after the hospital rece ived seve r al letters of violation.

“We had grow ing c oncerns that resid ents or visitors might g et stuck in those elevators without a ccess,” Walsh said of why the village took action to i ssue a citation for the elevators.

A djudication documents that we re provided to Grow ing C ommunity Media , the parent c ompany of We d nesd ay Journal and Austin Weekly News, show that Ramco Healthcare Holdings was fined $150 for weeds taller than 8 inches on it s Rive r Fo rest proper ties

Walsh said the village issued West Suburban additional citations in January, which will be heard at a March 3 adjudication.

Chronically low, local voter turnout concerns candidates

In 2023, only about 18% of eligible Oak Park voters turned out in local elec tion

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Despite relatively low voter turnout in past municipal elections, Oak Park candidates are encouraging eligible residents to cast their ballots in the April 1 consolidated election.

In 2023, 40,359 residents in Oak Park were re gistered to vote. But only 7,327 ballots were cast. That means only about 18% of voters chose the fate of the village, at least until the next election cycle. That 18% alone chose the next village trustees, library trustees, park district commissioners and school board members.

And in instances where voters could choose multiple candidates, like in the 2023 Oak Park village trustee election, not every voter did. For example, voters could choose three out of five candidates for the village trustee position in 2023. Only 20,308 votes were cast. If all 7,327 ballots cast had chosen three candidates, 21,981 votes would have been cast.

In 2021, turnout was slightly higher. At the time, 40,620 residents were re gistered voters, but only 12,089 ballots were cast. In

2019, 39,705 voters were re gistered in Oak Park. Only 9,151 ballots were cast.

To have a healthy democracy where everyone’s voice is heard, high voter turnout is essential. Fair Vote, a nonpartisan organization that researches voting reforms, attributes low turnout to political diseng agement and belief that voting for certain candidates won’t do much to bring about real change.

And Oak Park isn’t unique in its relatively low voter turnout. In the United States, only about 60% of eligible voters show up for presidential elections. In 2024, about 64% of eligible voters cast a ballot.

Oak Park candidates for the upcoming village board elections expressed a communal desire to see high local voter turnout in the April election. Residents can read Wednesday Journal to learn how to re gister to vote, how to vote early and how to prepare for Election Day.

Trustee Lucia Robinson, running for reelection, said a big piece of encouraging voter turnout is reminding people when to vote and explaining where to vote, clearly and repeatedly. In Oak Park, residents can vote early at Village Hall or on Election Day

at their designated polling place.

“People get busy,” she said. “It’s not like the national presidential election.”

Joshua Vanderberg, running for village trustee, said people can tend to disengage from local politics and that’s why he works hard to get information out to the public independently. He said he wants to help residents understand who is responsible for decisions to help get voters engaged.

James “Jim” Taglia, running for village trustee, said low voter turnout might partially be due to frustration with the gover nment or lack of trust in it. He said he wants people to believe in their trustees and to continue to work with residents to solve problems

Trustee Chibuike Enyia, also running for reelection, added that he’s encouraging voter turnout by reminding residents how local elections directly impact their lives.

“Decisions made here—on housing, public safety, sustainability, and more—shape our community in ways national elections often don’t,” Enyia told Wednesday Journal.

Trustee Ravi Parakkat, running for village president, agreed that showing voters why their vote matters in local decisions can help

drive tur nout.

“Raising awareness about what’s at stake in this election and how voting can drive positive change is crucial to increase voter turnout,” he told Wednesday Journal. “For example, the proposed but unnecessary $150+ million tax-funded Village Hall project impacts us all. It threatens affordability, inclusivity, and community safety. This kind of reckless spending will price many out of Oak Park. We must act now to ensure our village remains a place where everyone can thrive.”

And Village President Vicki Scaman, also running for reelection, pointed out that local elections allow individuals to directly influence the community for a positive future.

“Your vote communicates your values and has the power to ensure local gover nment is responsive and protective of human rights and the needs of its residents,” she told Wednesday Journal. “In these nationally divisive times it is that much more important to vote in local elections and to trust in Oak Park for a stronger example of truth, love for democracy, preserving vibrancy in our diversity, and equality so that all have what they need to live and thrive.”

Journal hosts three Oak Park election forums

Candidates for village and two school boards will take questions

Candidates for Oak Park village president and trustee and for open seats on the school boards at Oak Park and River Forest High School and the District 97 Oak Park elementary schools will take part in a series of three forums hosted by Wednesday Jour nal and Growing Community Media. Each event will take place in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. The for ums will be both in person and live streamed.

Oak Park village government

Monday, Feb. 24, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

There are five trustee candidates for three open seats. Those candidates will appear from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The two candidates for village president, incumbent

Vicki Scaman and current trustee Ravi Parakkat, will take questions from 7:35 to 8:30 p.m.

Laura Maychruk will moderate the for um. Maychruk, the for mer owner of The Buzz Café, hosted candidate forums each election season in her Arts District coffee shop.

District 200 school board

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

There are six candidates for four open seats. One of those candidates, David Schaafsma is a write-in candidate. Because he has officially re gistered with the county as a candidate, the Jour nal is including him in its forum.

Dan Haley will moderate the for um. He is the for mer publisher and now a senior advisor at Growing Community Media.

District 97 school board

Thursday, March 6, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

There are five candidates for three open seats. Twyla Blackmond Larnell dropped out of the race last week. DeRondal Bevly, a professor at Columbia Colle ge, will moderate the forum.

Questions are welcome in advance and may be sent to Dan Haley at dhaley@wjinc.com. Guests at the forum will be asked to submit written questions for the moderator to use.

If you are not able to attend in person, all three for ums will be live streamed on the Growing Community Media You Tube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@g rowingcommunitymedia). A recording of each for um will be available at the same site

Max Reinsdorf, interim executive director of Growing Community Media, pointed to GCM’s long history of hosting candidate for ums for contested races. “These for ums serve as a platfo rm for voters to listen to and talk with candidates. That platfo rm is a core part of our work – info rming our communities and fostering productive conversations,” he said.

A er a decade, Judge Meyerson retires from the bench

Being “fair” was always her goal

By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

Pamela McLean Meyerson has retired as a judge for the 11th Subcircuit of Cook County Judicial Circuit Court, saying goodbye to a career that spanned a decade and at times tested her commitment to being fair.

“I was motivated to be a judge because I thought I could be the kind of judge that I would like to hear my case,” said Meyerson, who for mally stepped down Jan 31. “If I were standing before a judge, I would want someone to take my case seriously, do their homework, know the law and to treat everyone fairly after hearing all sides. I thought I could do that.”

It has been a challenging but rewarding career, during which time she briefly served in traffic court, presided over 1,000s of foreclosures during the economic crisis of 2010 and was then transfer red to the chancery division, where she heard a variety of civil cases including neighbors fighting over property lines, class action suits and restrictive employment covenants.

Judges are required to be objective and impartial when deciding cases, which is not always easy, according to Meyerson.

“When making decisions, you have to look at what the law is, not what you would like it to be,” she said. “It can be hard. But I’ve never recused myself from a case because I didn’t think I could be objective in interpreting the law.”

Although she had no lawyers in her family or any particular role models, Meyerson decided to become a lawyer because she felt that it would give her an opportunity to make the world a better place in some way. She liked the idea of advocating for people who couldn’t advocate for themselves.

Meyerson learned the importance of advocating for herself when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin disease during her freshman year in colle ge

“I was going to the Colle ge of DuPage when I found a lump on my neck. The next thing you know, doctors are taking out spleen and giving me chemo and radiation. I was bald on my 18th birthday. It was not your typical colle ge experience,” she said. Meyerson persevered with her education, transferring to DePaul Uni where she pursued a bachelor’s de business administration and graduated with top honors. She briefly considered career in retail management, based on her teenage work experiences.

“I’ve had a job since I was 15, working at fast food and pizza places. Then I moved up to places, like retail stores, that didn’t make me come home smelling like grease,” she said.

An undergraduate class in business law made her reconsider her career options.

“I thought law was something that was well-suited to my skills – writing and arguing,” she said, laughing.

Re garding those skills in arguing: Meyerson met her husband, Charlie, a Chicago media legend and a board member of Growing Chicago Media, in 1978 as a result of a minor car accident. Charlie failed to stop in time and then rear-ended Pam. While he insists that the person at fault is not important—no tickets were issued, no one was hur t—Pam notes that his insurance company paid the damages (and that, further more, he was driving too close for conditions…)

“I found out that he worked at the radio station in Aurora and I called several times to request certain songs from the disk jockey. And he called me several times, supposedly to check that his insurance company was following through,” Meyerson said.

Five years after they met – and the day after she graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in the top third of her class – the Meyersons married.

Meyerson practiced commercial litigation with two Chicago firms, Antonow &

Fink and Goldberg Kohn Ltd, while doing some pro bono work with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.

In 1989, with two young sons at home, she left Goldberg Kohn to escape the crazy long hours she had been working and started subcontracting her services to other lawyers who needed help. She eventually took on some of her own clients and opened her firm in 1989. For almost 20 years, she worked from home, which was a highly unusual practice at the time.

Meyerson decided to run for judge of the 11th judicial circuit in 2010 but was unsuccessful. She ran again, unsuccessfully, in 2012. In 2013, she was appointed to fill a judicial vacancy and was elected to the position in 2014. She was retained in 2020, with 78% of the vote.

Following a month in traffic court, Meyerson was moved to foreclosures. At one point, she had 6,000 cases assigned just to her.

“It was standing-room-only every day. I had piles of documents that I needed to go through to prepare for the next day’s proceedings,” she said.

Many individuals in foreclosure didn’t have legal re presentation but Meyerson referred them to case managers who could help them reinstate their mortg ages or work out settlements with the bank, which she considered a win-win situation.

“A lot of times I was having to give bad news to folks. But you can still be kind. And I always ke pt a box of tissues on the bench,” Meyerson said.

In December 2016, she was transferred to the chancery division.

.Now that she is retired, Meyerson is eager to more freely express her opinions on current issues.

“I am worried about what’s going on in the country. I’m particularly concerned about what’s going to happen with democracy and the rule of law. A lot of norms are being overturned. I’m now in a position where I can express my opinion about these things,” Meyerson said.

Meyerson is also looking forward to spending more time with her growing brood of grandchildren, gardening, cooking, traveling, reading and staying out late at Fitzg erald’s

She eventually plans to re-engage with the community. Meyerson once served as vice president of the local League of Women Voters, president of Festival Theatre and a member of the board of the Community of Congregations. She also co-chaired the 1999 campaign to create Oak Park’s middle schools and was involved in the construction of the community’s first skate park.

“But, first, I’m giving myself six months to relax,” she insists.

TODD BANNOR

Pam Meyerson

Taste the world close to home

Elmwood Park restaurant week will take you on a culinary tour

DBy RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

o mid-winter blues have you dreaming of vacation destinations? A short trip can deliver flavors of the world when you take advantage of Dine-In Elmwood Park restaurant week, Feb. 21 to March 2. The only decision is where you want to go.

Italy is on the map, of course. After all, it’s Elmwood Park.

At Alpine Food Shop get a free soda with any sandwich purchase.

Armand’s Pizzeria serves up a $9 pizza special at lunch and dinner packs a sandwich, soup or salad and a drink for $12.

Donny G’s cheers you up with a complimentary glass of wine or beer with any meal order, as long as you can show the proper documents.

If you say the word at Jim & Pete’s you can get a $10 gift card for future dining, when you meet a $50 minimum dine-in order.

Plan your trip to Old World Pizza for their $6.50 lunch special: 2 slices with a canned drink. Their dinner offer is avail-

able all day: one large thin crust, one top ping pizza, six wings (hot, BBQ or plain) and a two-liter bottle of pop for $26.99.

Massa has a load of first-class options: your choice of pasta and a half salad sets you back only $20; panzerotti and a Pepsi, only $10; panini and five-piece polenta fry, $17; two lattes, $4; just to name a few.

Before you leave Italy, that bel paese, try Spizzico’s lunch deals. You choose from select sandwiches, fries and a drink; se lected salads, breadsticks and drink; or half a pasta order and a side salad and drink – any of those for only $9.

Chart yourself to destinations in Asia with a visit to New Star. For $20 it’s a choice of soup (wonton, hot & sour, egg drop or miso), appetizers aplenty (egg roll,

Oak Park to consider age restriction for some THC sales

Health board previously recommended banning the sale of unregulated THC

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Despite a previous recommendation from the Oak Park Board of Health to ban the sale of unregulated THC, village trustees have indicated they’d rather re gulate sales, star ting with an age restriction.

Unregulated THC, the compound that gives marijuana its “high,” is sold in Oak Park, usually in the form of delta-8. These products can cause adverse health effects and are often marketed to children as snacks or candy.

In October, public health re presentatives explained to the village board that there’s not enough research yet on delta-8 to understand the impact of the drug and what it could be combined with. But the majority of the board said they’d like to re gulate the products instead.

Trustee Susan Buchanan appeared to be the only trustee at the time who ag reed with the recommendation to ban the sale.

At the village board meeting Feb. 11, Oak Parker Judith Alexander spoke, sharing her concerns about the chemicals in un-

POLICE STOPS

from page 3

“There is a segment of calls here that probably would show up that don’t show up here because a lot of folks don’t reco gnize it as biased,” Wesley said.

Trustee Chibuike Enyia ag reed with Wesley. He asked what the process is when a call for suspicious activity is determined to be unfounded, and Johnson said the conversations between officers and the caller

VILLAGE HALL

from page 5

need to be the basis of our decision, but if inclusivity is a value then the price point and how it lands on the community is going to be impacting inclusivity,” Parakkat said.

He also emphasized that the average Oak

re gulated THC or delta-8.

“Under the current [Trump] administration, future federal action is doubtful,” she said. “Illinois is unlikely to do anything, either…So, it’s up to towns like Oak Park.”

There is village precedent for re gulation, like with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis products, Alexander pointed out. And re gulation through taxes or fines could help fund its own enforcement, she said.

Trustee Chibuike Enyia, who motioned for this item to be brought forward for discussion again, said he believed everyone could ag ree having access to unregulated THC or delta-8 at a young age is not a good idea. Making sure these products are out of the hands of minors is the first ste p, he said.

“There has to be some strict rules and re gulations…especially knowing that [these products] have the ability to influence the mind,” he said. “There’s not enough warning and re gulation around with any of the sellers within Oak Park.”

Trustees appeared in ag reement to consider a re gulation preventing unregulated THC or delta-8 products from being sold to

in that instance varies. Enyia added he’d like there to be a more standardized process for that.

Trustee Brian Straw brought up a concern about a call at 3:48 a.m. Oct. 22 where a man was re ported as sleeping at the same location for two nights in a row. He said he understands the need to respond to calls for service, but this seemed like an instance where the person should be connected to services rather than being asked to move in the middle of the night.

“I don’t know that making someone move along when they have nowhere to go and no

Parker spends little time in Village Hall, and having to spend a lot of money to renovate it could push people away from the village.

Scaman, however, pointed out that despite trustees’ cost concerns, there is still a significant cost to just maintaining the building as is. And costs of construction are only getting more and more expensive each year.

“In 2019, the previous board voted ‘No’

individuals, likely under the age of 21, in Oak Park. A decision will have to be finalized by vote at a later date

“I don’ t want to sell to kids while we wait for the state to figure out its politics,” Trustee Cory Wesley said. “I have heard from community members that there are folks in our village who are selling this stuf f to kids, and I just find that unacce ptable.”

Trustee Ravi Parakkat, who seconded Enyia’s motion, ag reed re gulation is important and that the board shouldn’ t wait on slow-moving state legislation on this matter.

Trustee Brian Straw also said he’d like public health measures like the age restriction or moving delta-8 products behind sale counters to be implemented as soon as possible, but other steps should be taken, too. That includes public education on the matter and taxes.

But some trustees raised concerns about how the re gulations will be enforced. Village Manager Kevin Jackson said enforcement could fall under the responsibility of the health department, police and neighborhood services.

way to get there in the middle of the night, I just don’t know what we’re doing there,” Straw said.

Johnson pointed out the village is working to implement its E.C.H.O or alternative calls for service program to better connect individuals with services. She also added that this individual had the same clothes on as an offender in a burglary earlier that night. But police do make individuals outside aware they can come to the police station, to a warming shelter or to an overnight shelter in those instances. That’s for their safety, too, she said.

on a police station,” she said. “So, pushing things down the road is not benefitting our residents either.”

Jonathan Tallman from Dewberry also clarified that part of the cost for a new police station is requirements for it to be storm shelter capable, able to withstand an earthquake, and bullet resistant while still being open and inviting.

Still, overall project cost remains a top

“If we can’t enforce this, there’s really no point in doing it,” Trustee Lucia Robinson said, adding she’d like that to be discussed more in de pth later.

Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley also added they still need to discuss collecting a tax for these products with the finance department. Municipalities are limited on taxing unlike the state. Oak Park could tax on a per unit basis of products sold, but not on the percentage of sales. For example, Chicago has a 5 cent-per-bottle tax on bottled water sales.

Shelley also said the village staf f has not yet met with all the business owners selling unregulated THC or delta-8 in Oak Park but have started outreach. The village is aware of about eight to 10 businesses right now that are selling these products

The board is now expected to move faster on an age restriction for these sales while still evaluating tax and other options for re gulation.

“All it takes is one bad situation, and that’s what I want to avoid,” Enyia said.

According to the police data, 28 arrests were made during the third and fourth quarter of 2024 from these 168 stop s. Those were for retail theft, active warrants and other criminal activity.

Johnson said most of the individuals being ticketed or arrested as a result of these calls are not Oak Park residents, and some are individuals experiencing homelessness And ar rests are higher when police self-initiate a stop. Johnson said that’s because officers can reco gnize an individual eng aging in criminal activity when conducting a stop.

concern among trustees.

“I don’t want to spend $100 million on buildings that in 2040 lots of people won’t even go into,” Trustee Cory Wesley said, adding that young people are less likely than folks today to eng age with village services in person. “I can envision a Village Hall in 20 years as half empty or less while we’re still paying for it. That would be, I think, a waste of money.”

CRIME

Man punches Chicago resident, steals $23K

At 1:17 p.m. Feb. 10 on the 6100 block of North Avenue, a man approached a Chicago resident from behind as they exited a business. The man alle gedly punched the victim to the ground and stole a bag from them that contained money, then fled. The estimated loss is $23,761.

Kidnapping arrest

A 25-year-old man alle gedly tried to kidnap his ex-girlfriend around 1 a.m. Feb. 14 on the 100 block of North Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park.

After a police chase, the alle ged kidnapping was thwarted, according to WGN9.

A woman reported to police that her 2016 black BMW 5351 was stolen by her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, whose last known address was in Oak Park

The man came back with the vehicle to turn over medication belonging to the woman, according to village officials. The man then pulled the daughter, his 24-yearold ex-girlfriend, into the vehicle and fled eastbound on North Boulevard.

The woman reportedly said her daughter texted her saying she was scared, and the man would not stop the vehicle or let her out. The ex-girlfriend’s phone was fla gged to be pinged after an Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network notification was made.

A chase with Illinois State Police started, spanning two expressways until it ended in Alsip. T he man was transported to the Oak Pa rk Police De partment.

Village officials re ported that the victim did not cooperate with officers and did not wish to pursue charges. She also declined medical attention, according to officials

T he man was still to be charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and a fugitive war rant in Iowa for a probation violation related to sex exploitation of a minor, according to re ports. He was held for bond hearings.

Burglary

Between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Feb. 11, someone broke into a Natola Concrete Inc. 2020 Nissan 3500V on the 500 block of Garfield Street and stole a gas-powered saw. The individual also broke into a 2016 Ford F350 and stole another gas-powered saw and two hammer drills. The estimated loss and damages are $7,900.

Catalytic converter theft

Around 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 8, someone stole the catalytic converter from an Oak Park resident’s 2013 Toyota Prius on the 0 – 100 block of Lake Street. The estimated

An 18-year-old Chicago man was arrest201 Madison St. for criminal trespass to proper ty. btained from Oak Park ports dated Feb. 10 – 17 present a portion of the incidents to ich police responded. Anyone named in charged with a yet been adjudice of a suspect only en a serious crime has been committed, and police have provided us with a detailed physical descripseek the public’s

Compiled by Luzane Draughon

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As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov

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Chicago Edge Summer Camps Return for Another Exciting Summer of Soccer!

Chicago Edge Soccer Camps return this year for their 13th summer of programming with the Park District of Oak Park. The camp has become one of the most popular summer options in Oak Park with almost 700 young players aged 4 to 14 participating last year. We have a 90-minute-aday option for players aged 4 -6 that serves as a fun and engaging introduction to soccer. Players will focus on learning the fundamental skills of soccer in a positive and safe learning environment. Our 3-hour camp for players aged 6 to 14 is a great way to

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Players will work on individual ball skills throughout the week and end each day with an exciting small-sided World Cup tournament. We have 8 weeks of summer camp all based at Taylor Park, players are welcome to sign up for one or multiple weeks. Directed by Murray Findlay and coached by the professional coaches from the Chicago Edge Soccer Club, one of Chicago’s largest youth soccer clubs and based right here in Oak Park. We hope to see you there!

An Inspiring Opportunity for Gifted Students at Dominican University

It’s true. The needs of academically gifted & talented students can easily fall through the cracks as continued priorities on testing drive schools to teach to a standardized grade level response. The phrase genius denied refers to those who will suffer a profound gap between their fullest potential and what little is asked of them, particularly when one size just doesn’t fit all.

Perhaps this is part of the reason why schooling for the gifted and neurodivergent can be a boring and isolating experience.

Ask a neuro-atypical child what it’s like to learn with peers who learn differently, and the common reply will relate to waiting. Waiting for the other students to understand; waiting to be challenged more; waiting for answers to higherlevel questions; waiting for something to inspire a desire to achieve; waiting… for someone to notice.

Summer enrichment programs for intellectually like-minded students provide inspiring opportunities for both academic and social growth. And quite often, a life defining experience. The Summer Gifted and Talented Program is hosted on the beautiful campus at Dominican University, where our classrooms are buzzing with ideas because we know that talent must be nurtured and fed to fully develop. For us, summer is the highlight of the year. It’s a time when we can feel free to be ourselves, motivated by the energy that comes with the joy of inspired learning.

Visit dom.edu/summergifted for more details about SGAT at Dominican University. Spring Registration is around the corner soon! Inspired Minds. Amazing Possibilities.

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For program information, summer courses and application details, visit: www.dom.edu/summergifted

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Or SGAT Assistant (on-campus): Lauren Somers, lsomers@dom.edu

Serving the gifted and talented community since 1987.

Dominican University’s Summer Gifted and Talented Program (SGAT) challenges and inspires highly motivated, academically gifted and talented students entering grades 2-8 in the fall with academic and social enrichment in Math, Science, Writing/Humanities, and Fine/Performing Arts.

For program information, summer courses and application details, visit: www.dom.edu/summergifted

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Questions? Contact off-campus Program Director Janie Wu at jwu@dom.edu, or on-campus SGAT Assistant Janette Torres Arellano at jtorresarellano@dom.edu.

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AAU & TRAVEL BASKETBALL TEAMS

LOCATIONS

Boys Grades: 2nd-8th

MIDDLE SCHOOL & ELEMENTARY

IMPACT Basketball

Community Center, 8020 Madison Street, River Forest, IL

Girls Grades: 2nd-8th

AAU & TRAVEL BASKETBALL TEAMS

2nd - 4th: Friday, February 28th & March 7th 6:30pm to 8:30pm

5th - 6th Saturday, February 15th from 12:00 am to 1:30 pm

5th - 6th Friday, February 21 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

TRY-OUTS 2025

7th - 8th: Saturday, February 15th & 22nd from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

original Impact Basketball in the State of competitive, high-level basketball program system for over 25 years to many designed to enhance the fundamental skills those skills into game play at a high play college basketball. players.

C hoices T ogether

Boys Grades: 2nd-8th

Girls Grades: 2nd-8th

- 8th: Saturday, February 15th & 22nd from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

I ndividuals M aking P ositive A lternative C hoices T ogether

2nd - 4th: Saturday, February 15th 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Walk-in registration available on date of tryout. door.

MIDDLE SCHOOL & ELEMENTARY

AAU & TRAVEL BASKETBALL TEAMS

2nd - 4th: Friday, February 28th 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

information please contact:

Executive Director jamesfoster@impactbasketball.org

Street, River Forest, IL

28th & March 7th 6:30pm to 8:30pm 15th from 12:00 am to 1:30 pm from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

www.impactbasketball.org IG@illinoisimpactbasketball

State of program to many fundamental skills a high tryout.

Maximum roster size per team: 10-12 players.

15th & 22nd from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

IMPACT Travel Basketball - We are the original Impact Basketball in the State of We are a competitive, high-level basketball program for boys and girls and have been a feeder system for over 25 years to many area high schools. Our program is designed to enhance the fundamental skills of players and show them how to transition those skills into game play at a high level. Many of our players have gone to play college basketball.

MIDDLE SCHOOL & ELEMENTARY

TRY-OUTS 2025

MIDDLE SCHOOL & ELEMENTARY

15th & 22nd from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

15th 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

DATES + LOCATIONS

28th 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

8:30pm pm 3:00 pm 4:30 pm

I ndividuals M aking P ositive A lternative C

Walk-in registration available on date of tryout. Tryout Fee $25.00 online / $30.00 at the door.

Boys Grades: 2nd-8th

Girls Grades: 2nd-8th

TRY-OUTS 2025

District 97 policy, distribution of information by a community group does not imply directly or indirectly, that the group’s proevent(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.”

River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison Street, River Forest, IL

Boys Grades 2nd - 4th: Friday, February 28th & March 7th 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Boys Grades 5th - 6th Saturday, February 15th from 12:00 am to 1:30 pm

Boys Grades 5th - 6th Friday, February 21 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Boys Grades 7th - 8th: Saturday, February 15th & 22nd from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Boys Grades: 2nd-8th

Girls Grades: 2nd-8th

I ndividuals M aking P ositive A lternative C hoices T ogether

IMPACT Travel Basketball - We are the original Impact Basketball in the State of Illinois with proven results We are a competitive, high-level basketball program for boys and girls and have been a feeder system for over 25 years to many area high schools. Our program is designed to enhance the fundamental skills of players and show them how to transition those skills into game play at a high level. Many of our players have gone to play college basketball.

Girls Grades 5th - 8th: Saturday, February 15th & 22nd from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Girls Grades 2nd - 4th: Saturday, February 15th 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Maximum roster size per team: 10-12 players.

Girls Grades 2nd - 4th: Friday, February 28th 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

information by a community group does not imply directly or indirectly, that the group’s prosponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.”

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Walk-in registration available on date of tryout. Tryout Fee $25.00 online / $30.00 at the door.

DATES + LOCATIONS

Maximum roster size per team: 10-12 players.

For more information please contact: James Foster, Executive Director jamesfoster@impactbasketball.org 708-497-9817 www.impactbasketball.org IG@illinoisimpactbasketball

Maximum roster size per team: 10-12 players.

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Walk-in registration available on date of tryout. Tryout Fee $25.00 online / $30.00 at the door.

River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison Street, River Forest, IL

“In